Walking through the neon district
Our histories left un-mended
Leaving footprints in the rain
Dark of night thoroughly descended
Walking Through The Neon District
dark
Trading Euphemisms In The Dark
Trading euphemisms in the dark
Blankets piled high on the bed
Finding warmth between ourselves
Love inhabits where fear can’t tread
Sheets getting tangled in our bodies
Chorus of breathing getting thick
Cherishing & celebrating each moment
Grateful she still let’s me dip my wick
Some Nights I Feel The Echo Of The Falling Sand
Some nights I feel the echo of the falling sand
Time advancing with the stacking of fear
But I hope for bravery as I take a stand
Eyes wide open, yet confused & cannot hear
Cloaked; rhythms in darkness remain unclear
I’ll Take My Coffee Black
I’ll take my coffee black
Darker than my dreams
Wake from this slumber
Shake her from the reams
Don’t Love Me Because I’m Beautiful
Don’t love me because I’m beautiful
Love me in spite of the darkness of my soul’s shade
I’m trying to outlast the setting sun
To still be relevant after your attention begins to fade
I Don’t Speak Of The Dark Times
I don’t speak of the dark times
For I don’t know how to describe
Numb from the constant rows
Beating my head against the tide
All the while, I’m trying to keep in step
Attempts to parry everything exterior
Concurrent remedies do nothing
Resulting in the residue of the inferior
Intentions to escape these trappings
Quietly absconding along the coast
Ambitions to enliven another day
& thus a creation of a ghost
You Cannot Pick Your Thoughts
You cannot pick your thoughts
The conscious can’t be steered
Without love, hope and magic
The future will be as dark as you feared
Avoid Conformity At All Cost
Avoid conformity at all cost
Don’t succumb to traditional roles
The last traipsing of the mind
The return of structure of the soul
But you don’t need their approval
Nor the organization of their might
Society’s labels are numb to life
They won’t give you harmony in the dark of night
Running My Fingers Upon The Smooth Surface
Running my fingers upon the smooth surface
Keeping them always against the grain
I know my way through the Redwoods
They’re my protection against the dark stains
Born in the high desert among the cacti
Faint echoes from mission bells of yore
Great things come from fools with faith
Misguided souls remain thirsty for more
Stubborn & obstinate as hardwood
Needing my love to keep from being truculent
Even though our touch doesn’t always soften conditions
Nevertheless, she is still my favorite succulent
Unlocking Inspiration In The Night
Unlocking inspiration in the night
Emerging from the shadows & dark places
Rising from a migrant slumber
New life without any of the fragile traces
A travesty banished to the past
Along with all heartache & fear
Endless scribbles upon discarded paper
The truth within ink stains & pencil smears
Dark Clouds Forming Over The Horizon
Dark clouds forming over the horizon
Storms threaten to assuredly comply
A day drifting away without recourse
Dreams hang-dogged in the evening sky
The slow buildup to another slumber
I tried to be reasonable, but I think too deep
Took a leap, but might’ve been too far
In the end, relegated to remaining the black sheep
Telling Stories After Dark
Telling stories after dark
Occasionally with Tom Waits in the lead
Fantastical little allegories
Bringing a light to those souls in need
No need to whisper in the shadows
Luminous words to prepare the way
Removing barriers to our enlightenment
Witticisms fleshed out & on display
Short tales to get creative juices flowing
Harking back to dreams that we might meet
Subtle differences between the pauses
Allowing our imaginations to properly greet
Scenes from our own round table
Foreplay within our cheeky banter
Conjuring visions of a keen passion
Diluted memories at the bottom of our decanter
Bad behavior leads to a more examined life
Though through fiction we can live eternal
A little more sensitive than you want to believe
Yearning to be held by a beautiful dame so maternal
Out here with our hearts raised to the sky
Searching for better answers on the midnight shore
With the freedom to imagine wisdom laid bare
Parsed theories for when we sent them off to war
Subtle manipulation within our romantic esthetics
Unreliable narrators marching; our literary brigade
There’s no vernacular for hearts’ folly
Pushing forth our gentle notion love might persuade
In the end, dear friends, our parable is contrite
In this heinous world, we all have a simple choice
I lay myself to slumber, a fatigued sailor
Wishing for a lullaby coming from Nick Cave’s voice
Image by Eli Digital Creative from Pixabay
Middle Of the Ocean Blues
Paddling around the remotest parts
Looking for hope where there’s no merriment
Our souls evaporating in the open air
Put through this vise of a social experiment
Living out here minus the love & support
There’s only so much a man can endure
Mother Nature whirling up the darkest storms
Blowing away my dreams I’m terribly sure
Hey, hey, hey, pretty mama
Please send me some news
It’s lonesome out here
I’ve got the middle of the ocean blues
Thankful for a little spit of dry land
Feeling a bit wobbly & out of sorts
Having a nice cold one under a palm
Time to recharge my batteries in this port
Soon enough, we’ll be back floating
Feeling the Earth’s rotation upon this burn
Long days of sweat & toiling work
Wearing my body out before I return
Hey, hey, hey, pretty mama
Please send me some news
It’s lonesome out here
I’ve got the middle of the ocean blues
Love’s Ledger Left Tossed To The Side
Love’s ledger left tossed to the side
Margins filled by unintelligible marks
Homesick & heartbroken again
Counting constellations in the dark
Open waves rippling silently forever
A strenuous walk upon the tightrope
Each step as precious as the last
Moonlight providing a glimmer of hope
Your Idols Weren’t Half The Men
Your idols weren’t half the men
They thought they were half a bottle in
Cowardly hiding behind unjust traditions
Sinning while gulping juniper medicinal gin
Their women languishing in the shadows
Cast off from any chance to reach the light
Yet those damsels can see through the dark
The perfect heroine to save an errant knight
Misconstrued notions of dynamic parity
Swabbing the deck with your fallen idol
Ink smudges & literary drudges
Methinks – their mothers should’ve used spermicidal
These Bahamian Tan Lines
These Bahamian tan lines
Leaving my goodies quite stark
Perhaps you’ll easily find me
As we’re naked in the dark
Counting Out The Steps
Counting out the steps
Crawling on all fours
One, two three, one two, three
You deny the circus, but they’re really yours
Giving her another twirl
We’re standing naked & stark
You speak your pretentious slang
Only exposed in the dark
I’m here with your midnight medicine
My beautiful babe, bottoms up!
But I remain steadfast
Watching you spill out of your lace cups
Where Are Our Notions Of Excellence
Where are our notions of excellence
Who was it who decided upon the benchmark
I’m not concerned with the notches in your belt
Nor the inferiority you felt after dark
We need to find a solution within this realm
To expel those who feed off society’s blues
To exterminate the politicians & profiteers
Our war, our blood & our catastrophic fate
Unfolding Broken Dreams
Unfolding broken dreams
The distant & diluted flow
Our hopeless choices astound
The truth? We still don’t know
But we can never give up
Clinging to the last of our visions
Memories cultivated on dark nights
Leaving us exposed with obvious incisions
How do you translate a morning
When your soul bears undiagnosed pain
Scars from a life well lived
For in the end, disillusioned cannot remain
Walk With Me, Sweet Lady
For Whom The Bell Jar Tolls
For whom the Bell Jar tolls
Chasing demons down the dark hall
Scratching an itch until it bleeds
Beyond a fantasy that wasn’t there at all
Never letting the imposter take hold
Growing larger in our own impression
Sizing up unquestioned confidence
Surviving in spite of a soul’s transgression
I Am A Seeker Of Truth
I am a seeker of truth
In the darker moments of existence
When our souls are hurt
& freedom is at an unfathomable distance
Broken frameworks & deep mistrust
Will you take me home after I’ve done my bit
Honesty is the only way we’ll survive
Open & earnest with the unblemished truth of it
thinking nostalgic thoughts
thinking nostalgic thoughts
on an empty stomach
rediscovering grunge tunes
stuck at home in a pandemic
remembering the pain of high school
couldn’t fit in anywhere
reliving dark moments
where it could’ve ended
remembering lost loves
& how warm they made you feel
but you know it wasn’t real
leaving you cold & alone
abandoned until life truly began.
Seeking Out Freedoms
Seeking out the freedoms
But where is the wisdom our follies have made
Washed away with the retreating tides
Now we bask out in the cover of foliage’s shade
I’m sure nature leads us to the answer
The tempted isolation of introverts
The paused legacy of our discontent
Posterity gently tugging at her miniskirt
Tilted scales of Justice – with her hem unraveling
The overture that rises where prudence fails
Our overwrought, sparse conjecture
& leaves us at the darker side of the fairytale
Quietly, The Most Awkward Person I Know
Quietly, the most awkward person I know
Never sure how to handle a situation
Constantly judging myself & my actions
Forcing myself deeper into this alienation
Watching all the pretty people succeed
Just trying to survive, I’m happy I’m still here
No one wants to discuss the darkness within
But here I am, attempting to confront my fears
The Clouds Descend Upon Us
The clouds descend upon us
Stress compounding at this time of year
Getting darker as the days build
Waxing upon the fruition of fear
This world is a bloody hell
A disaster proven before the ink dries
Scorn for a distant foundation
Futility in which all hope slowly dies
The darkness returns
Looking for a story to wryly begin
Miscommunications falter
& I wade through my vermouth & gin
Image by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay
John Muir
“The world’s big and I want to have a good look at it before it gets dark.”
― John Muir
Captain Q 